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4 stoufjville suntribune saturday february 3 2007 staff photosjoerd witteveen donald ferguson chairperson of the winter frolic gala helps cynthia cochrane of event sponsor town country bmw out of a new bmw sports car the event is feb 16 we have the facilities to make your very special win an uiiimateescape at the spa value 275 with any purchase ola gift certificate or any avedagiftbasket of products ffoi moreiinformationwisit us at wwwfamesalonspacom stouffville plaza ip 9056402299 5892 main street stouffville ontario mon tues wed thur fri sat 9am6pm 9am9pm 9am9pm 9am9pm 9am6pm 9am6pm elegant evening helps those touched by loss by simone joseph staff writer evergreen hospices palliative care and bereavement support aims to help families in markham and whitchurch- stouffville who are touched by a lifethreatening illness or death we will be there when fami lies need us most were like the shoulder families can rely on said karen warner the hospices fund development cpordinator we help them with their jour ney the winter frolic gala feb 16 at angus glen golf club is evergreens largest fundraiser of the year its goal is to raise 100000 this event goes a long way to help cover the costs she said the gala is a glamorous evening of fine dining and danc ing featuring the advocats big band the silent auction will include more than 150 items and entertainment packages the live auction features five items including dinner under the stars where eight guests enjoy a gourmet dinner in a fantasy gar den setting at the home of well- known jazz diva june garber another item up for grabs is golf and lunch at the exclusive magna golf club there is a relaxing week of paradise for two on a private island off the coast of st vincent west indies an autumn trip to france or a week of summer fun at a popular mont tremblant resort tickets are 175 per person including dinner and compli mentary bar black tie is optional a chari table donation tax receipt will be provided for a portion of the tick et price call evergreen hospice at 9054725014 money raised will support programs and services such as the childrens bereavement pro gram the equivalent program for teenagers called digital memories as well as adult and seniors programs for more information go to wwwever- green hospiceorg or email infoever- greenhospiceorg tar check out your ffcei in order to maintain y6lrelibiisbest online business director pl details of your new business if ydiimoved v corn it clicks home c investm an alternative rrsp strategy invest in your own mortgage in the financial world this time of year has come to be known as rrsp season it may not be a coincidence that rrsp season arrives during february the coldest bleakest month of the year since both february and retirement planning can leave you frustrated and longing for a beach in the caribbean most canadians recognize how valuable an rrsp can be for sheltering income from tax and for helping accu mulate savings for retirement you may not be aware of an alternative rrsp strategy holding your own mortgage in your rrsp since 1984 the federal government has allowed certain mortgages to be held as an investment within a self- directed rrsp provided that your mortgage qualifies under the guidelines of the program and that you have suf ficient assets to make the program costeffective you can hold the mortgage on your own principal residence in your own rrsp there are several advantages to setting up this type of program first of all youll be paying the interest on your mortgage to your own rrsp rather than to a mortgage lender lenders normally earn a spread on mortgage loans the difference between deposit and lending rates which means youre often able to earn a better rate of return than what is available with most other fixedincome investments like gics secondly the fact that you now have a mortgage in your rrsp doesnt affect your contribution room so you can continue to make regular rrsp contributions thirdly your mortgage is a topquality longterm investment for your rrsp your own first mortgage secured by your own personal property if your house is already free and clear it may actually be beneficial to borrow against your home for invest ment purposes and then establish a mortgage inside your rrsp to replace these borrowed funds in other words it may be possible to unlock part of your rrsp without any adverse tax consequences involved in making the transfer there are several conditions that must be met before you can use your mortgage as an rrsp investment for example only nonarms length mortgages where you have an interest in the property are eligible mortgage interest rates and terms must be in line with those available in the general market although it can be costly to set up and administer a mortgage rrsp for conservative investors the mortgage rrsp can be intriguing together with a professional advisor you should examine whether holding your mortgage in your rrsp is more advantageous than your cunent plan this rrsp season investing a few moments of your time into the mortgage rrsp may turn out to be your best investment yet and who knows there may be a beach in your future after all chris karram is a financial consultant with safebridge financial group greg holohan is an investment executive with scotiamcleod chris and greg specialize in unique investment insurance and retirement strategies and have provided financial solutions for many families in the markhamstouffuille area chris can be reached at 4164665858 or chrissafebridgefinan- cialcom and greg can be reached at 9054798238 or gregholohanscotiamcleodcom scotiamcleod is a division of scotia capital inc member cipf 710 monthly income rate guaranteed for life capital secured call today for more information greg holohan investment executive 9054798238 675 cochrane dr suite 1 15 markham on l3r 0b8 safebridge financial group m0t6a6c ihtvftakcc inviftuchti returns will differ depending on age sex lax bracket health smoking status and prevailing interest rates when discussing life insurance products scotiamcleod advisors are acting as ufe urrfertvrters representirsg scotiakfcteod fmar services ontario inc scotiamcleod financial services ontarfojbxfe an msurarke subsidiary of s scotiabank group for the purposes of the ad insurance products wo be sold through scotiamcleod financial services ontario inc andor safrarfoge financial group trademark used urrferauttorraftonarkjcororcjrf the bank of nova scofescotiamclecdisadmstonofscofacap